Iraq

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 30, 2015

Turkish forces increase air offensive against Kurdish militias in six locations in northern Iraq, with government condemning airstrikes as assault on Iraq's sovereignty; battle between Turkish government and Kurdish insurgents of Kurdistan Workers’ Party has been recently rekindled following tenuous two-year ceasefire. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

Turkish air strikes against Kurdish militia targets in Iraq raise fears that two groups will be drawn back into bloody civil conflict; Kurdistan Workers' Party reached cease-fire with Turkey in 2013 that has now been effectively ended. MORE

Jul. 26, 2015

Spreading unrest and growing influence of Islamic State and other Muslim extremist groups in Iraq and Syria is threatening survival of Christian minority in region that gave rise to Christianity; ISIS is employing brutal policies in hopes of eradicating Christians and other minorities in many areas altogether, raising fears that entire societies and cultures will disappear. MORE

Jul. 24, 2015

Jul. 23, 2015

Iraqi authorities report car bomb explosions kill at least 26 people and injure 58; bombings occurred at congested markets in predominantly Shiite neighborhoods of Bayaa and Shaab in Baghdad, raising suspicions that Islamic State militants are responsible. MORE

Jul. 22, 2015

Islamic State, which once functioned primarily as terrorist organization, is developing means of governing territories it has seized in Iraq and Syria, forcing Western world to reconsider military approach to combating group; experts argue situation requires West to offer political reconciliation to alienated Sunnis in order to defeat ISIS, whose rule is increasingly seen as only alternative to chaos. MORE

Jul. 14, 2015

Iraqi government announces major military operation to drive Islamic State from Anbar Province; American-led coalition steps up airstrikes in support of effort. MORE

Jul. 7, 2015

American and Iraqi officials say Iraqi security forces are preparing to take back strategic city of Ramadi from Islamic State; Pres Obama says fall of city to ISIS has invigorated Iraqi government and accelerated American plans to provide training and equipment to Iraqi forces, including Sunni fighters. MORE

Jul. 2, 2015

United Nations reports that nearly 1,500 Iraqis were killed while battling Islamic State in June, up more than 40 percent from May. MORE

Jun. 23, 2015

Iraq's Shiite-dominated government faces challenge in stabilizing wartorn city of Tikrit after retaking it from Islamic State forces; displaced Sunni families begin to return to area and Shiite militias provide security in sign of easing sectarian tensions. MORE

Jun. 23, 2015

Defense Dept reports that Tunisian Islamic State militant Tariq bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-’Awni al-Harzi, 'person of interest' in 2012 attack on American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was killed by American drone strike near Mosul, Iraq. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Military jury recommends that Marine Sgt Lawrence Hutchins III, who has twice been convicted of murdering an Iraqi civilian, receive no additional prison time beyond seven years he has already served; also recommends that he be given bad-conduct discharge. MORE

Jun. 18, 2015

Defense Sec Ashton B Carter tells House Committee on Armed Services reason they are falling short of fall deadline to train 24,000 Iraqi security force members to fight Islamic State group is because Iraqi government has not provided enough recruits. MORE

Jun. 18, 2015

Family members of Talha Asmal, 17-year-old from West Yorkshire, Britain, identify him in photo posted on social media by Islamic State militants claiming his participation in group's suicide bombing at Iraqi security facility, which killed at least 10 people; parents blame son's radicalization on Internet and social media. MORE

Jun. 18, 2015

Op-Ed article by author and former Marine Owen West expresses deep skepticism about Pres Obama's plan to deploy additional 450 troops to Iraq to act as advisers in fight against Islamic State; describes how his own experience in Iraq demonstrated that American troops can only affect combat outcomes by sharing in combat duties; argues project remains doomed to failure in its current, limited, state, especially amid corrupt backdrop of Iraqi politics. MORE

Jun. 17, 2015

Islamic State is deepening its roots in communities it has seized control of in Iraq and Syria, offering services ordinarily provided by government while at same time imposing its strict version of Islamic law; group provides sense of stability otherwise absent in wartime atmosphere it has created, making residents dependent on it as it seeks to establish Sunni Muslim state. MORE

Jun. 13, 2015

Success of Kurdish forces in retaking and holding territory in northern Iraq from Islamic State group is rare instance of success in country for Obama administration's policy of coordinating with forces on ground; success also highlights challenges that policy faces in the region, as solid relationship with Kurds has not been replicated with ground forces elsewhere. MORE

Jun. 12, 2015

Officials say Pres Obama is moving toward increasing American military involvement in Iraq, with bases and hundreds of more troops to help Iraqi security forces fight Islamic State; outposts would place United States trainers closer to front lines, but they would not engage in combat. MORE

Jun. 11, 2015

News Analysis; Pres Obama's decision to open a new base for additional 450 American military trainers and other personnel in Iraq's Anbar Province offers welcomed lift to Sunni tribes and Iraqi troops struggling to hold their own against Islamic State; plan, however, does not call for personnel to accompany Iraqi forces into battlefield, lessening likelihood of a quick turnaround. MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

Obama administration is planning to build new military base in Iraq's Anbar Province and deploy 400 American military trainers to help Iraqi forces retake city of Ramadi from Islamic State; in strategic shift, lengthy campaign is planned to recapture Mosul from ISIS at later date, possibly not until 2016. MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

Islamic State captures strategic power plant near its stronghold in Libyan city of Surt; suicide gunmen attack council building in Amiriyat al Falluja, near Baghdad. MORE

Jun. 8, 2015

British Prime Min David Cameron says he will send 125 more troops to Iraq to train forces fighting Islamic State, bringing number of British soldiers helping battle militants there to 275. MORE

Jun. 5, 2015

David Brooks Op-Ed column suggests that current strategy in Iraq based on centralized approach is not working, and rise of Islamic State has occurred because Iraqis have lost trust in their government; calls for shifting to decentralized, federalist approach to government in country, which would allow sectarian tensions to cool. MORE

Jun. 2, 2015

American and Turkish officials come closer to agreement on how to cooperatively clear Islamic State militants from areas of Syria and Iraq along Turkey's southern border. MORE

Jun. 1, 2015

Editorial seconds deep skepticism voiced by Sec of Defense Ashton Carter in reference to failures of Iraqi security forces, who have repeatedly demonstrated an insufficient will to beat back onslaught by Islamic State; questions wisdom of continued American support, arguing that most effective path would be to directly arm and train Sunni tribal fighters, proposal that has been vociferously opposed by Shiite-led central government. MORE

May. 30, 2015

Islamic State claims responsibility for bombings of two luxury hotels frequented by foreigners in Baghdad, which killed 14 people and wounded 25 others. MORE

May. 29, 2015

United Nations adopts resolution intended to combat plundering of antiquities by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Sunni Iraqis fleeing onslaught by Islamic State forces in Ramadi and elsewhere are finding doors closed to them by their Shiite countrymen; of three million Iraqis displaced by conflict, some 85 percent are Sunni; Shiite authorities have treated displaced as security threats rather than civilians, closing bridges and imposing strict sponsorship rules that few can pass; observers say policy has worsened sectarian tensions and squandered political opportunity for reconciliation. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Many Iraqi commanders and some American officers say caution by United States in using airstrikes against Islamic State is giving terrorists the upper hand; US officials say airstrikes of significant and obvious ISIS targets would accidentally kill civilians. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Iraqi officials say soldiers and allied Shiite militias are moving to retake city Ramadi from Islamic State fighters. MORE

May. 25, 2015

Defense Sec Ashton B Carter blames Iraqi forces for a retreat from Ramadi, Iraq, that led to Islamic State's takeover of city, accusing army of lack of effort and will; Carter's comments represent bluntest criticism to date of Iraqi army by an American official. MORE

May. 24, 2015

Islamic State has survived setbacks by staying true to its doctrine of fighting on multiple fronts, committing atrocities to scare off resistance and enforcing its caliphate on Iraqi-Syrian border; group has solidified its hold on Anbar Province in Iraq and stretched its territory in Syria. MORE

May. 22, 2015

Islamic State, with its apparent ease in seizing cities of Ramadi, Iraq, and Palmyra, Syria, has displayed strategy first of patience, then of speed, quickly routing government forces weakened by attrition; residents say they have lost any sense that government can give safety even to its loyalists. MORE

May. 22, 2015

Pres Obama interview in The Atlantic defends his policy regarding fight against Islamic State forces in Middle East, acknowledging more should be done to help Iraqis recapture lost territory; attributes fall of Ramadi to Iraqi government's failure to fortify Anbar Province, and reiterates his decision not to increase US troops, calling for patience. MORE

May. 22, 2015

Op-Ed article by policy expert Ahmed Ali cautions against reading too much into fall of Ramadi, Iraq, and Palmyra, Syria, to Islamic State; suggests attack on Ramadi is sign that group is desperate, and fall of two cities gives opportunity to conduct realistic assessment of threat group presents; notes Ramadi is but one battle in what will be long war. MORE

May. 21, 2015

United States will rush 1,000 antitank rockets to Iraqi military, first step as Obama administration weighs difficult decisions in aiding beleaguered ally against Islamic State militants: deployment of weapons is intended to combat massive suicide vehicle bombs that ISIS used to capture provincial capital of Ramadi. MORE

May. 20, 2015

Iraq's effort to arm and train local Sunni tribesmen to fight Sunni extremists of Islamic State fails as ISIS takes city Ramadi in Anbar province; collapse of Anbar illustrates ongoing tragedy of Iraq's Sunnis, most of whom want to get on with their lives and find place in new order. MORE

May. 20, 2015

Obama administration officials defend Pres Obama's strategy for countering Islamic State militants in Iraq; say militants' capture of provincial capital of Ramadi is setback but not a sign of failure. MORE

May. 19, 2015

Fall of Ramadi, Iraq, to Islamic State leaves Iraqi Prime Min Haider al-Abadi, who led failed military campaign, politically more vulnerable than ever; powerful rivals within his own Shiite political bloc, who for months have accused him of working too closely with Sunnis, are using defeat to undercut his authority further, with some even calling for his resignation. MORE

May. 19, 2015

American officials say Islamic State fighters' success in capturing Iraqi town of Ramadi was largely due to their use of sandstorm for cover in early hours of attack; say American warplanes were unable to assist Iraqi forces; it was not first time Islamic State fighters have used tactic, which points out limitations of US airstrikes in conflict. MORE

May. 18, 2015

Iraqi city of Ramadi falls to Islamic State militants, marking their most significant victory so far in 2015; militants ransack military headquarters, seize large store of weapons and kill those loyal to government; offensive has claimed lives of at least 500 and comes despite intensified American airstrikes. MORE

May. 16, 2015

Islamic State militants take over government sector in Ramadi, Iraq, major setback for Iraqi government and its attempts to retain control of the city. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Iraq’s Ministry of Defense reports Abu Alaa al-Afari, second in command to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in coalition airstrike near Tal Afar, but United States Central Command has not verified claim; US government has identified Afari on list of Islamic State leaders as Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli. MORE

May. 10, 2015

Iraqi government faces challenge of stabilizing and repopulating area around city of Tikrit, which it wrested from Islamic State militants in April, without reestablishing same sectarian tensions that allowed insurgents to flourish. MORE

May. 10, 2015

Forty inmates escape Khalis prison in Diyala Province, Iraq, following uprising that left at least six officers and 30 prisoners dead; escapees include some prisoners convicted of terrorism charges. MORE

May. 9, 2015

Iraqi militants conduct series of suicide bombings of Shiite mosques, killing at least 22 worshipers; while no group has claimed responsibility, attacks bear hallmarks of those carried out by Islamic State. MORE

May. 9, 2015

Massoud Barzani, president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, says he will accept American weapons delivery under any terms in order to fight Islamic State group; statement seems to resolve concerns raised by both American lawmakers and Iraqi government over military aid to Kurds. MORE

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As the country once again teeters toward sectarian warfare, we asked reporters from The New York Times — now on other beats, in other parts of the world — which of their stories from their time in Iraq have been resurfacing in their minds.

Multimedia

Nearly nine years of war in Iraq have produced a growing cadre of world-class, homegrown Iraqi news photographers. These are the stories of five of those photojournalists, with a sampling of their images.